Forest management practices
Forest management practices have changed in Europe towards
greater integration of biodiversity aspects, such as deadwood
components and important vulnerable small biotopes being left
in the forests alongside measures for wood production.
The main methods for safeguarding biological diversity in commercial
forests in Finland are the protection of valuable habitats
and biotopes, favouring of mixed tree stands in the management,
and increasing the amount of decayed wood. The selected
new forest management policy has brought measurable positive
changes to commercial forests An evaluation of threatened species
(IUCN classification) conducted in 2010 showed that the
rate of decline of certain forest species has slowed down in Finland,
or in some cases even stopped since the 1990s, although
it has not been possible to halt the the decline in forest species
overall. Retention trees at felling sites have been particularly
important in curbing the decline trends.
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